The Research Consortium EARTHSHAPE installed meteorological stations along four research sites at the climate gradient in coastal Chile, between the dry and poorly vegetated Atacama desert and the humid forests in southern Chile. The setup and data initialization in March-April 2016 was realized in close cooperation with the Pontifical Catholic University of Chile, the Chilean Corporation of Forestry (CONAF) and the Centre for Advanced Studies in Dry Areas (CEAZA), Chile.

The purpose of these stations is to monitor weather and climate data for the investigations focusing on local ecology, nutrient cycle, formation of soil and erosion.